Chrysler Championship Round Four review: Choi wins it with his new 'tin can' driver

So now we know what done it - K J Choi’snew driver. The sound of Nike’s new “SasQuatch Sumo” (don’t ask because I don’t have a clue) striking the ball has been likened to hitting a cola can. Ernie Els described it as a tuna fish can with a shaft on the end. Did the trick nicely, whatever the noise, leaving Choi 16th for accuracy off the tee, part of a very impressive all-rouind set of figures for the match. Struck me he was having far more difficulty with his English than the Copperhead course.

It certainly didn’t take long for Choi to crush our hopes of a happy day’s trading. When Paul Goydos birdied his first to share the lead with Choi it looked like game on. Out comes Choi to fire an eagle - game over.

Considering how benign the weather was, I would have thought someone could have put up a fight, but no one did. It didn’t take long for Els to dash my high hopes - boy is he lucky still to be in the Tour Championship? Expect a big effort from Mike Weir? Cue sound of crunching gears as he slams into reverse. A trademark Sunday charge fromVijay Singh? He too beat the retreat instead. By the turn there was little choice but to lump on Choi, lie back and think of Atlanta.

It’s a pity Els left the best till last, but I bet the Tour Championship bosses whistled in relief when he made those great saves on the final two holes to slide under the wire. The competition was already looking a bit threadbare without him dropping out too. Since the only tour competition he’s played since August was in Europe, I guess Jose Maria Olazabal isnt that fussed at being dumped out of the event by our Mr Choi.

Darren Clarke was also a bit fortunate that some less than stellar performances down the field left him sitting bang on the money list cut-off line. Hope we see a bit more of him in America next year.

PS: Is sense beginning to prevail on the Michelle Wie front? I read that the boss of the European tour has asked Omega to reconsider giving her sponsors exemptions so that she is not “put through that torture again". The specific torture he was referring to was the European Masters in Switzerland in September when she finished last (and slowest). But the point is obviously more widely applicable and, let’s face it, she isn’t the only one being tortured.

11 comments

I wonder if the boss of the European tour is willing to write a check for the millions in TV and gate revenues lost if Wie is not invited. Most of the slow play is a direct result of the hoards of fans and press following her (50 fans and a few cameras move a lot faster than 2000 fans and 50 cameras). Sponsors (who have to pony up many millions to host such events) are usually willing to suffer a little slow play if it helps recoup their huge investment.

Hey, pro golf is a business... lots of people have their hands out demanding big fat checks. Michelle is one of the very few players of either sex who actually BRING mega-bucks to the table for the poor slobs (the sponsors) who get stuck paying ALL the bills.

Well if all you can think of is the money, and you don't mind turning it into a circus, go ahead. But apart from the fact that it is actually ruining Wie's game, if it persists I for one will take my business elsewhere.

While one could certainly make the arguement that playing tough courses in men's events hurts Wie's game, I don't agree. 3 top-fives in LPGA Majors this year is solid play in anybody's book. Also don't agree that she "finished last" as a passel of pros who shot big numbers WD'd to avoid posting higher scores than Wie.

As I mentioned on another string, the average age for golf's legends first wins is 24 years (Snead, Palmer, Hogan, Nicklaus, Sorenstam, etc.). Michelle has seven years to learn her craft by that mark. She's gaining an invaluable depth of knowledge directly from today's masters of the game. Perhaps the most valuable lesson she's learning is humility.

Is it FAIR that she gets access to these men's events around the world? Probably not. Not yet. But she is certainly paying her own way. If I were her dad I'd tell her to play all the men's events she wanted to, and quit playing them any old time she felt like it.

Sorry, but as far as I hear tell she is ruining her swing by trying to match the men for distance. This would not have been made public in this way had the industry not been worrying about this. The impression is the response was possibly not negative from Omega, on the basis that the increasingly negative publicity may be doing more harm than good to their image.

Learning to tone down the full swing on drives is a lesson even the best have had to force themselves to accept. Woods seems to have learned it this year and Mickelson almost did. Snead learned it 50 years ago. Even with a toned down swing, Wie can put it out there 275 - 280 with Di Marco, Wier, Verplank, etc.

If there's one event that is expendable for Wie, it would be the Omega. Doesn't fit her game. But it really should be Wie's call, not O'Grady's. His "concern" for Wie's welfare comes across as contrived at best.

At 20 Aree is exempt on the LPGA, has had 2 top-fives in LPGA Majors, and will earn seven figures with international winnings and endorsements. I'd also give her until age 24 to find her "A" game. Poor girl.

O'GRADY WAS AGAINST WIE PLAYING ON THE EUROPEAN TOUR FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. HIS EXCUSE THAT "IT IS IN THE BEST INTEREST FOR MICHELLE" IS SUSPECT. WHAT WILL ALL OF THOSE SPOILED PRIMA DONNAS ON THE PGA TOUR SAY WHEN MICHELLE IS 6'3" AT 180 POUNDS AND OUTDRIVING MOST OF THEM.

Persimmon inlays should be outlawed. Gives upstart wood techies an unfair advantage over us true purists who would never think of tinkering with a solid chunk of Austrailian Malletwood. Steel shafts? Scandalous! And what the hell was wrong with the feathery? It has all been downhill since some ill-mannered cur teed up the first Gutty.

The PGA Punter, aka Anthony Urquhart, writes about pro golf from a gamblers point of view. Without claiming to have a crystal ball, the Punter offers WorldGolf.com readers views on the players and wagering possibilities that present themselves each week on tour.

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